Publications

This paper analyzes the determinants of interest margins in the Colombian Financial System. Based on the model by Ho and Saunders (1981), interest margins are modelled as a function of the pure spread and bank-specific institutional imperfections using quarterly data for the period 1994:IV-2005:…

The aim of this report is to present the Bank’s appreciation of the development of the financial system and implications for its stability. Furthermore, it is hoped that this publication will create a space for stimulating discussion of themes related to the development and long-term stability…

The aim of this report is to present the Bank’s appreciation of the development of the financial system and implications for its stability. Furthermore, it is hoped that this publication will create a space for stimulating discussion of themes related to the development and long-term stability…

This paper contributes an estimation framework to measure both technological and linkage externalities from foreign direct investment (FDI). Empirical research dealt mainly with intra-industry spillovers from FDI with restrictive treatment of inter-industry effects until recently. However, as…

In 1995, when contagion from the tequila crisis was spreading in Latin America, both Chile and Colombia were exempt from contagion and presented high rates of economic growth. Several analysts attribute this positive performance to the fact that both had undertaken prudential measures to avoid…

The July 2003 Financial Stability Report stated that the pick-up in credit growth resulted from positive behavior by both credit supply and credit demand. These developments intensified over the second half of 2003 and, combined with a more favorable external environment, allowed the financial…

This paper exploits the long history of the minimum wage in a relatively stable developing economy like Colombia in order to see whether it may alleviate the living conditions of low income families and reduce income inequality. The paper does not only explore how the minimum wage may serve this…

The previous Financial Stability Report showed that solvency had improved not only for credit establishments but also for firms and households, which are the system’s main counterparts within the real sector. Specifically, the Report described how the financial system’s solvency had recovered…

One of the main functions of the Central Bank is to ensure that the economy's payment system operates on a firm and efficient basis. The stability of the financial system is essential to this task. For this reason, the first edition of the Financial Stability Report was published by Banco de la…

Unemployment rate and the real wage behavior: a neoclassical hint for the Colombian labor market adjustment Unemployment rate and the real wage behavior: a neoclassical hint for Colombian labor market adjustment

In this study we construct volatility spillover indexes for some of the major stock market indexes in the world. We use a DCC-GARCH framework for modelling the multivariate relationships of volatility among markets. Extending the framework of Diebold and Yilmaz [2012] we compute spillover…

For a small open economy that receives external funding and is obliged to adapt to international credit and liquidity conditions, besides being an intensive producer and exporter of commodities (as is the case of Colombia and many other countries in the region), it is…

This paper assesses the efficiency of crop and livestock production in Colombia by using a sample of 1,565 households. The study considers households located in different production systems which differ in geography, climate and soil types. These conditions affect technical efficiency and thus…

We study the interdependence between real commodity prices and world real GDP using long-term annual data since 1870, by performing two empirical exercises. First, we compute long-term and medium-term cycles and measure their degree of synchronization for different leads and lags. Second, we…

Determinants of consumer credit are estimated by using information from a Credit Union located in Medellín-Colombia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation using this kind of data in Colombia. We find that life cycle-permanent income hypothesis (LC-PIH) related variables…

Monetary policy in Colombia is governed by an inflation targeting scheme designed to keep the rate of inflation low and stable. For this reason, it is important to measure and understand how prices in the economy respond to fluctuations in the exchange rate, an effect …